(Newser)
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A Colorado man believed to be a central figure in a New York City terror investigation denies he has links to al-Qaeda or any other terrorist group, the New York Times reports. Police raided three apartments in Queens after Najibullah Zazi visited the city last week. Materials were removed for examination but no arrests have been made, sparking accusations from federal officials that New York authorities moved in too soon, before the nature of the terror plot—if there was one—could be known.

"There is no way I can have any connection to this terrorism," Zazi told the Denver Post. "I live here, I work here. Why would I have an issue with America? This is the only country that gives you freedom—freedom of religion, freedom of choice. You don't get that elsewhere. Nobody wants to leave America. People die to come here." FBI officials have remained tight-lipped about the probe and refuse to confirm or deny that it has been tracking terror suspects in Colorado.